Topic Overview
What is prehypertension?
Prehypertension is blood
pressure that is higher than normal but not high enough to be
. It is a warning that your blood
pressure is going up.
Blood pressure is a measure of how hard
your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure that is
too high (also called hypertension) harms your blood vessels. This raises your
risk of
,
,
, and other health problems. But you can
take steps to get your blood pressure back to normal.
Blood
pressure is shown as two numbers, such as 120/80 (say “120 over 80”). The top
number is the pressure when the heart pumps blood. The bottom number is the
pressure when the heart relaxes and fills with blood. Normal blood pressure is
less than 120/80. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. Prehypertension is
between 120/80 and 140/90. Your blood pressure can be too high even if only one
of the two numbers is high.
What makes blood pressure go up?
Experts don't
know the exact cause of high blood pressure. But they agree that some things
can make blood pressure go up. They include not getting enough exercise and
being overweight. Eating foods that have too much sodium (salt) and drinking
too much alcohol also can raise blood pressure.
What are the symptoms?
Blood pressure that is
higher than normal does not cause symptoms. Most people feel fine. They find
out they have higher-than-normal blood pressure during a routine exam or a
doctor visit for another problem.
How is prehypertension diagnosed?
A simple test
with a is all you need to find out your
blood pressure. The doctor or nurse puts the cuff around your arm and pumps air
into the cuff. The cuff squeezes your arm. The doctor or nurse takes your blood
pressure while letting the air out of the cuff.
Your blood
pressure may be measured at two or more separate times to make sure that it is
higher than normal. This is because blood pressure goes up and down throughout
the day. Also, some people have higher blood pressure when they are in a
doctor's office but they have normal blood pressure at other times. This is
called
. If you think you may have
this, talk to your doctor about checking your blood pressure more often to see
if you really have high blood pressure.